Emulsion machine



July 30, 1935. J. F. ESCH -2,009,957

EMULSION MACHINE Filed June.l3, 1952sv 2 sheets-sheet 1 HA5 .4 TTOk/VE V July 30,1935; J, E ESCH 2,009,957

EMULSION MACHINE Filed June 13, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l/VVENTOR M5 A TTORNEV Patented July 30, 1935 A UNITED STATES EMULSION MACHINE Joseph F. Esch, Port Neches, Tex.', assignor to The Texas Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application June 13, 1933, Serial No. 675,543

5 Claims. (Cl. 259-7) This invention relates to a mixing apparatus for fluid materials, the machine being particularly designed for the production of dispersions of hydrocarbon materials, such as asphalt.

It is a primary object of the invention to provide a compact apparatus which can beutilized for the continuous production of emulsions, which is simple in construction and which will accommodate relatively large volumes of fluid materials without undue power consumption.

The above and other objects will appear more fully from the following specification when cone sidered in connection with the drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a mixing and dispersing machine constructed in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the lower rotatable disc employed.

Fig. 3 is an inverted plan view of the upper stationary disc of the machine.

Referring to the details of the drawings, the apparatus comprises a main body having an outer shell 6 and a transverse partition 8 forming a hopper I for receiving the dispersed materials. A cover plate l2 may be held in place by means of bolts M as shown. Material received within the hopper I0 is discharged through a suitable outlet Hi.

The operating elements of the machine include an upper stationary disc l8 and a lower rotatable disc 20. The discs I8 and 20 are spaced apart to a substantial extent for receiving projecting elements on the discs, constituting the mixing devices and occupying most of the space between the discs.

The lower rotating disc 20 is'formed with a plurality of concentric rows of dispersing pins 22, 24 and 26 projecting from the face of the disc 20 toward and terminating substantially in contact with the face of the opposed disc l8. The closely spaced inner row of pins 22 is of slightly greater height than the intermediate row 24 or the outer row 26, the inner pins 22 serving to distribute the incoming material uniformly around the axis of the discs. The circular projections or ribs 2| form grooves for receiving the projecting members formed on the opposed disc l8 and facilitate the contact of the materials With the dispersing pins. The pins on the lower disc are formed with a series of closely spaced transverse openings extending throughout the length of the pins and placed at an angle, as shown in Fig. 2, so that the material forced through the openings in the pins, due to the rotation of the disc, will be thrown outwardly to assist in forcing the dispersed material through and from the space between the discs.

The upper disc I8 is likewise formed with concentric rows of dispersing-pins, two rows 28 and 30 being employed in the present embodiment. The pins 28 are placed on a radius slightly smaller than the pins 24 on the lower disc so as to form a coacting pair of concentric projecting members which cooperate to thoroughly agitate and break up the materials being dispersed. The outer row of pins 30 likewise cooperates with the outer row of pins on the lower disc to form'a pair of cooperating projection members, cooperating in the same manner as the pins 24 and 28. The circular spaces between the inner row of pins 22 and the rows of coacting pins 24 and 28 and betweenthe last named pins and rows 26 and 30 serve as distributing areas to avoid theunintentional passage of unmixed materials through the machine. Other rows of pins may be utilized if necessary with materials which are particularly diilicult to mix or disperse. The pins 28 and 30 are formed with openings similar to those in pins 22 to 26, except that the angle of the openings is reversed. As shown, the materials passing through the pins will be thrown outwardly due to the circular movement of the material with respect to the disc l8 when the disc is rotating. The upper disc I8 is preferably stepped slightly, as shown, to provide a reduced clearance between the discs at the outer edges thereof. This disc is formed with an outer circular flange 32 machined to fit snugly within the casing 6. The disc is adjustably supported so as to maintain the discs I8 and 20 in proper cooperating relation and to 35 require the material to be contacted by the pins on the faces of the discs as the material passes through the space between the discs. As illustrated, the disc I8 is supported by means of bolts 34 and coacting nuts 36, the bolts being secured to the discs and the nuts being rotatably carried by the cover plate l2. The lower disc 20 is supported upon bearings 38, positioned in a sleeve 40, supported on the diaphragm 8. A skirt 4|, carried by the disc 20, may be used to prevent any material from passing from the hopper l0 into the sleeve 40. The drive shaft 42 connects the disc 20 with a lower driving pulley 44 which receives its power from. a suitable motor or belt, the latter being illustrated.

Materials to be mixed and dispersed are introduced into the space between the discs through an inlet pipe 46 which may be supported upon the cover plate l2 or upon the stationary disc I 8. The pipe 46 terminates adjacent the central 55 ing added either to the asphalt or water, or both,

dependent upon the type of dispersion being formed. The proper proportion of materials being added through the pipes 49 and 50, for example, may be determined and regulated through the use of proportioning pumps, control valves, or the like, as will be readily understood in this art.

In the operation of the apparatus, a suitable supply of water and heat liquefied asphalt, or other materials to be dispersed or mixed, is supplied through the inlet pipe 46 into the space 48 adjacent the axis of the rotating disc 20. The disc 20 is rotated to the left (Fig. 2) at a relatively high speed and the material received in the chamber 48 is immediately distributed about the discs and is passed into the space therebetween. The several pairs of coacting slotted pins break the materials up into fine particles, the materials discharged from the outer edge of the disc 20 dropping into the hopper i0 and being withdrawn for use or storage.

Dispersions of asphalt formed in an apparatus constructed in accordance with the present disclosure have been found to be ofvery fine particle size and to possess a high degree of stability due to the intimate mixing of the materials employed. The capacity of the machine is very high in proportion to the capacity of other machines for the same purpose but the power consumption, on the other hand, is somewhat less than that usually required for dispersing asphalt.

Obviously, many modifications and variations of the invention, as hereinbefore set forth, may be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, and therefore only such limitations should be imposed as are indicated in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a mixing apparatus, a pair of relatively rotatable discs having opposed faces, a plurality of projecting pins positioned on said opposed faces and spaced radially at different distances from the axis of said discs, said pins being formed with transverse openings extending through the same tangential to the arc of movement of said pins, the pins on opposed faces projecting into the space between said discs in overlapped relation and terminating in proximity to the faces of the opposite discs.

2. In a mixing apparatus, a pair of relatively rotatable discs having opposed faces, a plurality of projecting pins positioned on said opposed faces and spaced radially at different distances tion and terminating in proximity to the faces of v the opposite discs.

3. In a mixing apparatus, a pair of relatively rotatable discs having opposed faces, a plurality of rows of projecting pins positioned on said opposed faces and spaced radially at different distances from the axis of said discs to form a plurality of pairs of coacting rows of pins movable past one another in close relation, each pair of coacting rows of pins being spaced radially from each other pair of coacting rows of pins to a greater distance than the rows of pins of the same pair, said pins projecting into the space between said discs in overlapped relation and means for introducing a plurality of materials into the space between said discs adjacent the axes thereof, one of said discs having a free outer edge for the discharge of said materials therefrom.

4. In a mixing apparatus, a pair of relatively rotatable discs having opposed faces, a plurality of rows of projecting pins positioned on said opposed faces and spaced radially at different distances from the axis of said discs to form a plurality of pairs of coacting rows of pins movable past one another in close relation, each pair of coacting rows of pins being spaced further apart radially from each other pair of coacting rows of pins than the rows of pins of the same pair, and with one row of closely spaced pins near the axis of rotation of one of said discs, said pins projecting into the space betweensaid discs in overlapped relation and means for introducing a plurality of materials into the space between said discs adjacent the axes thereof.

5. In a mixing apparatus, a pair of ,relatively rotatable discs having opposed faces, a plurality of rows of projecting pins positioned on said opposed faces and spaced radially at different distances from the axis of said discs to form a plurality of pairs of coacting rows of pins movable past one another in close relation, said pairs of coacting rows of pins being spaced apart radially from each other pair further than the rows of pins of the same pair'to provide a distributing space between the pairs of coacting pins, said pins projecting into the space between said discs in overlapped relation.

JOSEPH F. ESCH. 

